58 years ago, Reinhold Bachler screwed the ski jump world record to the groundbreaking at the time. It was the harbinger of Austria to climb to the ski jumps.
It was a different time when Reinhold Bachler sat on the bar in Vikersund on March 12, 1967. His heavy wooden skiing weighed almost eleven kilograms – almost three times as much as today’s high -tech jumping skis.
At that time there was no question of security bonds or sophisticated aerodynamics. What counted were courage, talent and an overwhelming will, who inspired the trained miner from Eisenerz in Styria on that fateful day in Norway.
The ski jump in Vikersund had only experienced the conversion to the flight hill a few years earlier. In 1964 the ski club under the direction of Ottar Grotterud decided to expand the facility and turn the Vikersundbakken a real flight hill. With a cost of 445,000 Norwegian crowns, an imposing facility was created, which was inaugurated on March 13, 1966.
Just a year later, the ski jump became the scene of a historical moment.
A milestone for ski jumping Austria
When Bachler left the ski jumping table on March 12, 1967, he immediately felt that something special was in the air. With an impressive mixture of technology and intuition, he sailed through the Norwegian air – further and on, until he finally landed at the then incredible mark of 154 meters.
“When I jumped down and looked back on the jump, the wide knife ran into it,” said Bachler years later.
He also remembered: “He had a hat, he took off his hat and put it on exactly where I jumped up. Then they measured and the brand was created 154 meters. It was really a great thing. “
Reinhold Bachler after his world record in Vikersund
The then 23-year-old had sensationally increased the previous record by four meters and set a milestone in ski jumping-he became an Austrian national hero at a time when the Alpine Republic was far from the ski jump that it is today.
From miner to ski hero
The Eisenerzer, born on December 26, 1944, found his passion for ski jumping by chance.
“I once wrapped myself into the cinema,” said Bachler. “At the weekly show I saw Bubi Bradl ( Josef Bradl, Austrian ski jumper; editor’s note ) down. That impressed me. Then I built small ski jumps and the ski jumps grew over time. ”
However, the way to a professional athlete was rocky. After completing his apprenticeship in the sub -mining on Erzberg, Bachler initially worked as a miner – a double burden that would be unthinkable today.
“It was only after my success in 1967 and 1968 that Voest Alpine was so generous and paid me my wages when I had to be released,” the Austrian later said.
Bachler paved the way to the climb to ski jumping power
Bachler finally catapulted the world record flight to Vikers and Vikers and In his 14-year career at the highest level, he was on the podium a total of 60 times, won 21 FIS competitions in 1968 in Grenoble Olympic second, which at the same time meant the silver medal at the World Championship.
In the 1970s, Bachler also played a major role when the recently deceased Baldur Preiml – initially team -mate Bachlers – finally brought to the world leaders through a number of training and material innovations. Bachler was one of the veterans, in whose slipstream the new generation around Toni Innauer matured.
Even after his active career, Bachler remained loyal to sport. From 1982 until his retirement in 2000, Bachler worked as a coach in the Nordic training center in Eisenerz, which was founded on his initiative. Together with coaching legend Gerhard Niederhammer, he led numerous young athletes to the top of the world.
Reinhold Bachler (right, with Hubert Neuper) in 2014
A rich legacy
The world record of Bachler has long been broken and increased to new dimensions – it is currently 253.5 meters, set up by Bachler’s compatriot Stefan Kraft, also in Vikersund.
The legacy of Bachler still shapes ski jumping Austria to this day.
For his 80th birthday on December 26, 2024, he was awarded the honorary citizenship of his hometown Eisenerz.